Title: CrumbSignal
Author: idesolutions
Published: October 30, 2026
Last modified: October 30, 2026
---
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# CrumbSignal
By [idesolutions](https://profiles.wordpress.org/idesolutions/)
[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/crumbsignal.1.0.0.zip)
* [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/crumbsignal/#description)
* [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/crumbsignal/#reviews)
* [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/crumbsignal/#installation)
* [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/crumbsignal/#developers)
[Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/crumbsignal/)
## Description
CrumbSignal is a self-hosted WordPress consent manager. It stores consent in a first-
party cookie, keeps configured scripts inactive until the matching category is accepted,
and communicates visitor choices to Google tags.
#### Features
* Accept all, reject optional, and granular preferences
* Necessary, preferences, analytics, and marketing categories
* Google Consent Mode v2 defaults and updates
* Google Tag Manager, GA4, and Google Ads IDs
* Basic and advanced Google consent configurations
* dataLayer events for custom GTM triggers
* Category-based script gating with a simple markup attribute (no code is entered
or stored in the plugin)
* First-party cookie cleanup rules when consent is withdrawn
* Global Privacy Control support
* Optional “banner off” mode: show no banner but keep your scripts running (for
sites where consent isn’t required)
* Accessible modal, focus management, and reduced-motion support
* Custom colors, copy, and position
* No account, external dashboard, or pageview limits
CrumbSignal is a technical consent tool. Correct configuration and accurate privacy
disclosures remain the website owner’s responsibility. This plugin does not provide
legal advice or guarantee compliance with any law.
#### External services
CrumbSignal itself sends no data anywhere and has no account, dashboard or remote
API. The only third-party resources it can load are Google’s, and only if the site
owner enters a Google Tag Manager, GA4 or Google Ads ID in Settings > CrumbSignal
> Google & GTM.
**Google Tag Manager and the Google tag (gtag.js)**
* What it is: Google’s tag-loading scripts, `https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.
js` (Tag Manager) and `https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js` (GA4 and Google
Ads), plus the `https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html` noscript fallback when
Advanced Consent Mode is on.
* When it loads: in Basic Consent Mode, only after the visitor accepts Analytics
or Marketing. In Advanced Consent Mode, on page load, with all consent signals
set to denied until the visitor chooses.
* What is sent: the visitor’s browser requests the script from Google, so Google
receives the visitor’s IP address and browser details. CrumbSignal also tells
the Google tag the visitor’s consent choices (Google Consent Mode). Whatever
the tags in your own Tag Manager container or GA4 / Ads property then collect
is governed by your configuration and Google’s terms.
* Google Terms of Service: https://policies.google.com/terms
* Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
Any other third-party script you mark for gating yourself loads from the address
you give it, and only after the visitor accepts its category. You are responsible
for disclosing those services to your visitors.
## Screenshots
[⌊The visitor-facing consent banner with Accept, Reject, and Customize actions.⌉⌊
The visitor-facing consent banner with Accept, Reject, and Customize actions.⌉[
The visitor-facing consent banner with Accept, Reject, and Customize actions.
[⌊The granular cookie preferences panel, opened from Customize or the revisit button.⌉⌊
The granular cookie preferences panel, opened from Customize or the revisit button
.⌉[
The granular cookie preferences panel, opened from Customize or the revisit button.
[⌊The CrumbSignal settings screen: General tab (consent duration, banner position,
GPC/DNT).⌉⌊The CrumbSignal settings screen: General tab (consent duration, banner
position, GPC/DNT).⌉[
The CrumbSignal settings screen: General tab (consent duration, banner position,
GPC/DNT).
[⌊The Google & GTM tab: GTM/GA4/Ads IDs and Basic vs. Advanced Consent Mode.⌉⌊The
Google & GTM tab: GTM/GA4/Ads IDs and Basic vs. Advanced Consent Mode.⌉[
The Google & GTM tab: GTM/GA4/Ads IDs and Basic vs. Advanced Consent Mode.
[⌊The Script Gating tab: the markup that holds a script until consent, and the cookies
to clear on withdrawal.⌉⌊The Script Gating tab: the markup that holds a script until
consent, and the cookies to clear on withdrawal.⌉[
The Script Gating tab: the markup that holds a script until consent, and the cookies
to clear on withdrawal.
[⌊The Design tab: accent, background, text and button colors with a contrast check.⌉⌊
The Design tab: accent, background, text and button colors with a contrast check
.⌉[
The Design tab: accent, background, text and button colors with a contrast check.
## Installation
1. Upload the `crumbsignal` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/` or install the ZIP from
Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
2. Activate CrumbSignal.
3. Open Settings > CrumbSignal.
4. Configure banner copy and Google tags, and mark any other scripts that require
consent with a category attribute.
5. Test Accept, Reject, and Customize in a private browser window before publishing.
## FAQ
### Does CrumbSignal scan my website for cookies?
No. Version 1 focuses on transparent, deterministic control of configured scripts.
Automated scanners can miss scripts or classify them incorrectly.
### Does Google Tag Manager load before consent?
In Advanced Consent Mode, the container may load with denied consent defaults. In
Basic Consent Mode, CrumbSignal only loads the configured GTM container after analytics
or marketing consent. Consent defaults are established before either mode loads
Google tags.
### What dataLayer events are available?
crumbsignal_ready fires after the default or stored consent state is established.`
crumbsignal_consent_update` fires when the visitor saves a choice. Both include
consent booleans for analytics, marketing, and preferences.
### Can I control scripts added outside CrumbSignal?
Yes. CrumbSignal does not store or print scripts for you; it gates the ones you
add yourself. Change the script type to `text/plain`, add `data-crumbsignal-category
="analytics"` (or preferences/marketing), and move an external URL from `src` to`
data-src`. The Script Gating tab also lets you list the cookie names those scripts
set, so they are cleared when a visitor withdraws consent.
### Can I use a footer link instead of the floating button?
Yes. Turn off “Show the floating privacy choices button” in Settings > CrumbSignal
> General, then add the `[crumbsignal_preferences]` shortcode (optionally `label
="Your Privacy Choices"`) to a footer widget or page. You can also point any menu
item at a URL ending in `#crumbsignal-preferences` (for example `#crumbsignal-preferences`
or `https://example.com/#crumbsignal-preferences`), or give any link or button the
class `crumbsignal-open-preferences`. Clicking it reopens the preferences popup.
### Will page caching affect the cookie banner or consent signals?
CrumbSignal reads and writes consent entirely in the visitor’s browser: a first-
party cookie plus a small bootstrap script that runs before any other script, both
served as part of the normal (cacheable) page HTML. A correctly configured cache
does not need to exclude pages using CrumbSignal. The one thing to check is whether
your host or a JS-optimization plugin rewrites, defers, combines, or strips inline`